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from inside bafta
news and events
Calling All Members From Amy Minyard BAFTA Events And Membership Officer
Firstly, I would like to thank you all for your patience with us during the renewal period. I hope you have all received your new cards by now and approve of the slightly more modern look. The new cards will also mean that you will no longer have to supply a photo each year, unless you simply want to update your look. We will soon have in place a bar code scanner at the entrance and at reception so that we can keep track of who is in the build- ing and attending screenings and events. This will hopefully quicken the process of gaining access to the building as well.
Film Composition Masterclass with Gabriel Yared and John Madden This month, I thought I would
dedicate the rest of this section to an event held recently at the Academy and attended by 180 BAFTA members, their guests, and guests of the Royal College of Music. We had the pleasure of listening to music composed by students from the Royal College of Music MA in Film Composition Course performed live on our stage.
Following each performance, Oscar and BAFTA winning com- poser Gabriel Yared (Betty Blue, The Lover, The Talented Mr Ripley, The English Patient) and director
John Madden (Mrs Brown, Shakespeare in Love, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin) gave some helpful advice to the student composers. Here are some
excerpts from the event, which was chaired by Miguel Mera of the RCM:
John Madden: The first time I work with a composer – just look- ing at an idea, a musi- cal world, a language, a vernacular for the film, an approach to the film – the immedi- ate thing I want to do is to hear something again. That’s because you have certain feel-
ings, certain reactions, but it is hard to articulate those on a first hearing. I would always start with emo-
tion. What is the emotional story the pictures are telling? Never mind what the actual shape of the pictures are, whether it’s a wide shot, a tight shot, whether there is camera movement or no camera movement. These obvi- ously are all relevant to the com- position but it would be how are you going to tell the story. What is the emotional point of view of a given moment? That usually means a character. The raw material that one’s looking for is the musical world of the film... that’s melody, that’s emotion.
GY: There is no film compos- ing; there is only composing. So the attitude would be to first of all work as a composer on a theme and try to expand on that. In a sonata you do theme one, theme two. And then when you have this material – you take the cells and apply to them to an excerpt. What you are look- ing for is the whole concept and the whole concept comes only from being a composer before acting as a film composer for a precise scene.
Miguel Mera: There is an implication in what you’re saying that the composer needs quite a
lot of time, but the prevailing industry practice is otherwise. GY: The industry is not an
example to follow; I am sorry to say that. I used to do two to three films a year and I stopped doing that. I think it’s impossible. I mean no composer, whatever his pro- fessional skills are, could really do three films a year without repeat- ing himself. If you want me to give something to a film, to be honest with the art you have been gift- ed, you have to stay more than three months on a film. You must spend time with the director, and have the time to be wrong. If we don’t go through those things, we’re just like cynical makers and no longer composers.
MM: When is the ideal time for you to be involved in a project?
GY: Well, I’m actually working with Anthony Minghella on Cold Mountain. He hasn’t begun shooting yet but I started with him two months ago. I am working on the main themes, and I haven’t seen any pictures. I may be wrong, but time is required to get involved in the project, to be an ally. I mean when we marry we don’t marry for three months. Time is required to understand the person you are working with. (On when he is only involved after the film is made)
When I am in this situation I feel very bad because I have only three or four months. So I act in a very selfish way. I say, I will watch the picture and I don’t for- get anything because I watch it so that every scene is really in my heart. And then I stop watching the picture and I start playing, improvising, writing, turning all those things upside down. And maybe it is a miracle, but I know that at the end of the process something is fitting, the spirit of my music fits the spirit of the film. Then it is all about craft, to match the music exactly to the scene.
MM: What happens if you do not like the film you are working on?
GY: I don’t take it, usually. After I got this Oscar for The English Patient everybody want-
ed me to do the same score. Unfortunately I did three films exactly the same where at the end the character dies or two characters die. I said, “I’m stop- ping now.”
MM: How do you strike a bal- ance between using music to enhance events in a film and overdoing it?
GY: I used to do so much music it was almost invading the film. Slowly I started thinking it must be much more difficult to be spare and do less. Emotion expressed by the music is differ- ent than the emotion given by the picture. So it doesn’t mean that when a scene is very emo- tional you have to hold your emotion. How you express it is important and this comes from orchestration, from not saying all things immediately.
Housekeeping
The monthly membership pro- gramme is divided into two sec- tions for activities at 195 Piccadilly: Events and Screenings. Screenings are not usually book- able but tickets are issued 45 min- utes in advance of the film. For the events, we encourage book- ing. Seats may be available on the day but are not guaranteed. Tickets are issued in advance for most events, with the exception of our BAFTA at the Bar Networking Evenings.
We have only recently begun issuing tickets again for events, in the hope that this helps members confirm when they have been successful in booking. For this rea- son, please do fill out the booking form and include ALL of the infor- mation requested.
It really does save us a lot of time if you include the informa- tion requested. If you wish to email an event booking, please make sure you include all infor- mation request on the events booking form so we can process your request accordingly.
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